I have loved Botticelli since I was a girl. Long before I understood anything about the Renaissance, I knew those faces: the tilt of a head, the pale gold hair, the calm …
- London
The National Gallery, London: From the Sainsbury Wing to the Sunflowers
by Bubblyby Bubbly 9 min readTrafalgar Square sits at the heart of London, and in early December it runs cold and bright, with the fountains going and a row of wooden chalets set up along the north …
- London
The Phantom of the Opera at His Majesty’s Theatre, London: Seeing It Where It Began
by Bubblyby Bubbly 6 min readI had waited a long time for this one. I had listened to The Phantom of the Opera for years and learned most of the songs by heart, yet I had never …
For most of my life, the Queen was in my wallet. I grew up in Canada, where Elizabeth II was head of state, and her face looked out from the twenty-dollar bill …
- London
The Young Victoria: the Film’s Royal Stand-Ins, and the Real Palaces Behind Them
by Bubblyby Bubbly 9 min readI love The Young Victoria. The 2009 film, with Emily Blunt as Victoria and Rupert Friend as Albert, tells the story of a teenage queen finding her feet and falling in love, …
You walk into the V&A and the first thing above you is a storm of blue and green glass. The great Chihuly chandelier hangs in the domed entrance hall, eleven metres of …
